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Home > Lifestyle News > Culture News > Article > Surreal and real come together in a time travel drama

Surreal and real come together in a time travel drama

Updated on: 21 September,2016 08:26 AM IST  | 
Shraddha Uchil |

Dreams can be funny things by themselves. But can you imagine a scenario where your dreams collided with someone else's?

Surreal and real come together in a time travel drama

Night of Love is about seven characters who experience love over the course of a night
Night of Love is about seven characters who experience love over the course of a night


Dreams can be funny things by themselves. But can you imagine a scenario where your dreams collided with someone else's?


This is exactly what happens in Night of Love. The play begins in a café, with the seven characters sitting at three different tables, conversing. At some point during the play, they fall asleep and their dreams interconnect.


What ensues is a surreal back and forth through time, all in the course of a night, during which the characters meet and experience unrequited love, unspoken desires, and deceit. The tale is narrated by the deities of darkness, Nyx (Night), Selena (Moon), Achyls (Misery) and Oneroi (Dreams) using verse, object theatre and physical theatre.

This is the first time Omkar Bhatkar is attempting a play featuring psychoanalysis and surrealism. "I've always wanted to work on something that deals with psychoanalytic theory. For this play, I was inspired by Sigmund Freud's work on dream theory, as well as the works of Vivant Denon and Gabriel Garcia Marquez," says Bhatkar, who has written and directed the play.

The plot jumps between different periods in time, from present day to the 15th century. Expectedly, this involves elaborate set and costume changes. "It is certainly a visual pleasure watching Night of Love, right from the costumes to the props," says Bhatkar.

He adds that it's not just the characters but the audience too that needs to pay attention. "Every prop plays a crucial role. A lot is said through objects on the set, and there are many ways in which it can be interpreted."

For instance, you might spot an upturned wine glass, but with the drink not spilling out, appearing just the way it would have if the glass was standing upright. Elements like these adds to the surreal feel of the play. Bhatkar explains that being a massive production and one that's highly experimental, Night of Love will only be staged on two days, with no repeat performances.

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